Prelude in Lydian Mode
by Knappster
Summary: Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always.


Stacie wasn't sure how it had started. There had always been a certain tension between her and Aubrey but she'd never acted on it, at least not until Cynthia Rose's wedding. Aubrey arrived a few minutes late, hurrying out to the garden where the ceremony was taking place seconds before the music started and joined the end of the first row of Bellas. After smiling briefly in her direction, Stacie turned towards the back where the wedding party was starting to appear, her eyes finding the blonde again when the flower girl reached their row.

Aubrey was wearing a gorgeous peach dress that left one of her shoulders exposed, making Stacie's eyes travel from the curve of her neck, down her arm to her wrist, where her hand was now perched on the edge of Aubrey's chair.

Strangely, or so it seemed to Stacie, she felt the sudden urge to reach out and take Aubrey's hand to see if it felt as soft as it looked. She felt her heart speed up and her breathing get shallow and she clutched her hands together tightly to keep herself from reaching out.

She looked around, convinced that someone must have noticed her reaction to Aubrey, but everyone was focused on the wedding party walking down the aisle. She let out a breath. She was at one of her best friend's weddings, her emotions were heightened, and Aubrey really did look hot today. It was just her old crush coming to the surface, magnified by the situation.

Stacie focused back on the ceremony, trying and almost succeeding to push down that feeling. However the hyperawareness of Aubrey's closeness remained, and as soon as she could, Stacie fled under the guise of wanting to be one of the first people to congratulate Cynthia.

She successfully avoided the blonde throughout most of the party. Even though they were seated at the same table, she picked a seat so she'd have to lean over Jessica and Ashley to even look at her. She came close to ending up next to her when they got up to dance, but a graceful turn and strategically moving Flo in between them did the trick.

She had almost forgotten all about it, the alcohol and the party doing most of the work, when Aubrey caught her wrist and pulled her behind a hedge as she was walking back from the bathroom.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I-" Stacie started to deny it but stopped when she noticed the hurt look on Aubrey's face. She sighed, taking a step forward and running her fingers down Aubrey's hand, lacing their fingers loosely. "I'm sorry."

"Did I do something to you? I don't get it." Aubrey shook her head confused and Stacie took a step closer in an attempt to reassure her.

"No, you didn't do anything." Stacie took a breath, closing her eyes when she breathed in Aubrey's perfume. She opened them again when she felt Aubrey's hand on her cheek, noticing the blonde had moved closer.

Stacie's free hand moved to Aubrey's waist, the smooth fabric of the dress cold against her fingers. She felt Aubrey's breath on her lips and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest.

"Stacie." Aubrey breathed out her name like a plea and Stacie moved forward, capturing her lips in a rough kiss which Aubrey responded to immediately.

Stacie tugged Aubrey against her, her fingers clutching the side of her dress while her other hand tightened around her fingers. She felt Aubrey smile against her lips and heard a soft chuckle as Aubrey's hand moved back to tangle in her hair. Her back bumped against the hedge, the branches scratching against her exposed back making her push Aubrey forward and break the kiss.

"I have a room."

Aubrey arched an eyebrow, but Stacie's worry that she might have moved too fast proved to be unfounded. "I thought you were sharing it with Emily."

Stacie frowned. "I forgot about that."

Aubrey ran a finger down the front of Stacie's dress, following the edge of her cleavage. "I have a room for myself."

Stacie smiled wolfishly and nodded, quickly kissing Aubrey and leading her back to their table. Aubrey made an excuse about having to leave early the next day and discreetly slipped her spare room key to Stacie, who a few minutes later got up, telling Emily The Hunter was on the prowl and not to expect her back in their room until morning.

Stacie didn't really know what to expect, she didn't really think too much about the consequences of what she was doing, she just felt this need inside of her that she knew only Aubrey could satisfy, and she did. She turned onto her stomach a few hours later completely sated as Aubrey's fingers traced random patterns on her naked back lulling her to sleep.

She woke up the next day to the sound of a zipper being closed and an empty bed. Rolling over groggily, she blinked in the direction of the disturbance, watching as Aubrey finished closing her suitcase. "You're leaving?"

Aubrey stopped and looked at her, smiling briefly as her eyes took in the sight of a sleepy, naked Stacie in bed. "I really did have to leave early." She walked over to the bed and sat next to Stacie, brushing her hair back and leaning down to peck her lips. "You can stay here until noon."

Stacie sat up, relishing the look on Aubrey's face as the sheets pooled around her waist leaving her chest exposed. She kissed Aubrey deeply, pulling back when she felt Aubrey's ragged breaths against her lips. "Can't you stay a while longer?"

Aubrey whimpered. "I'd love to but I have a plane to catch." Aubrey's next kiss was less chaste than her first but Stacie could still feel her holding back. "See you at Fat Amy's wedding."

Aubrey left and Stacie didn't see her again until the wedding. Stacie thought about calling her a few times. The retreat was only a few hours away, she could have easily gone to visit her, but she didn't know how Aubrey would react, and Fat Amy's wedding was only a couple of months away. Besides, they were getting more time together since the wedding was in Tasmania and they had all agreed to get there a week early.

What Stacie hadn't thought of was that this time they were both sharing a room. They'd already been there for three days and Chloe hadn't left Aubrey's side. Stacie didn't know if Aubrey was doing it on purpose but she was starting to get annoyed.

She left dinner and went out to the deck of the inn they were staying in, leaning on the railing and looked down at the beach.

She didn't notice Aubrey had followed her outside until she was standing next to her and bumped her shoulder.

"You're pouting," Aubrey said with a slightly amused tone.

Stacie frowned and looked at Aubrey briefly before looking away again. "Am not."

Aubrey moved close enough so their arms touched, tracing Stacie's forearm with her index finger. "I'm sorry I've been unavailable." She covered Stacie's hand with her own when she didn't respond. "I've missed you."

Stacie couldn't hold back her smile and turned her hand, lacing her fingers with Aubrey. "Yeah?" Aubrey nodded and Stacie tilted her head towards Aubrey. "I've missed you too."

Stacie took a deep breath. It was taking all of her self control to not kiss Aubrey, but she couldn't risk doing it when any of the girls could walk out at any moment.

"Do you wanna ditch Chloe and see if they have an empty room we can get? I'm way more fun."

Aubrey chuckled and looked up, licking her lips when she saw Stacie's eyes move down to them. "I'd love to but I already asked and the place is booked full until the wedding."

"You really did miss me, huh?" Stacie smirked.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "You can't tease me for trying to do the exact same thing you just suggested."

Stacie laughed and looked behind them, pulling Aubrey to the side of the building when she saw the coast was clear. She pushed Aubrey against the wall and kissed her, moaning against her mouth when she felt Aubrey's hands clutching her shirt. She pulled back after a while, pecking Aubrey's lips a few times. "What are we gonna do?"

"I have a plan, but we have to wait until the wedding."

"That's in three more days!" Stacie crossed her arms.

"You're pouting again." Aubrey kissed her lower lip softly.

Stacie was smiling again by the time Aubrey pulled back. "So what's the plan?"

Apparently Adam, one of Chloe's old crushes, was friends with Bumper and was invited to the wedding. He and Chloe had never officially dated, they had met during her junior year, his senior year, but he had been very busy with his pre-med requirements and Alice barely let them out of rehearsal to go to class, let alone date. Aubrey knew Chloe thought he was the one who got away, much like Stacie had been for her, so she figured that with enough booze and dancing, they could at least get the room for themselves for a few hours.

The plan worked out to perfection, Chloe didn't really need a lot of coaxing to spend time with Adam. She was still dancing with him when Aubrey and Stacie slipped away and didn't show up in their room until the next morning, waking up Aubrey who was curled up against Stacie's back.

She sat up quickly, hiding Stacie's body behind her and under the covers. "Chloe! You- you're back." she turned to check that no part of Stacie was peeking out from under the covers. "How did it go?"

"It was amazing, I'm just gonna shower and change. I'm having breakfast with Adam in a bit." She went into the bathroom, stopping just before the door was fully closed and popping her head back out. "Are you naked?"

"Oh." Aubrey looked down at the sheet she was clutching to her chest. "I was tired so I just got into bed like this."

Chloe shrugged, accepting Aubrey's explanation, and closed the door. As soon as Aubrey heard the water start running she moved the covers off from Stacie. "You need to leave."

"What?" Stacie smiled up at her and rolled her eyes. "She said she was leaving again, I'll just stay here."

Stacie pulled the covers over her and Aubrey's head, tackling her down. "Stacie! Chloe's right there."

Stacie kissed her, rubbing their noses together when she pulled back. "She's in the shower."

"She's going to get out eventually." Aubrey tilted her chin up and kissed Stacie.

"Can I stay?"

Aubrey arched her eyebrow. "What are we gonna do all day?"

"I can think of a few things that might keep you entertained."

They spent the rest of the day in bed. Chloe texted Aubrey that she was spending the night with Adam again, so Stacie stayed until the next day.

They all flew up to Melbourne then, where they were spending the night before they all flew back home the day after. Adam had stayed behind in Tasmania, so Chloe was back by Aubrey's side. She hadn't shut up about the guy, and Stacie was starting to think that maybe her desire to spend time with Aubrey wasn't as strong as the one to stop listening to Chloe, but she tried to hang out with Aubrey as much as she could.

Stacie's flight left first, and she was surprised when she saw Aubrey walking out of the hotel when she was waiting for her cab. They hadn't really talked about what sleeping together had meant this time either, or if there was a plan going forward. She didn't really know what to tell Aubrey, or what Aubrey was going to tell her.

"You're leaving?"

Stacie smiled at the obvious question. "Yup."

Aubrey took a step closer, taking Stacie's hand. "I had a great time."

"Me too."

Stacie was trying to figure out if she should say something else when her cab pulled up and the driver walked over to take her bag.

Aubrey leaned up to kiss her cheek. "See you at the next wedding."

* * *

Stacie wiped her hands on her jeans nervously. She knew Aubrey was in the other room, and even though she'd just seen her a couple of weeks ago, she still wasn't ready for it.

It took them two years after Fat Amy's wedding to see each other again. Stacie had been working in Florida for a naval contractor and had just moved back to Atlanta to start her PhD when Emily invited her to her graduation. She hadn't expected Aubrey to be there, she hadn't coincided with Emily at Barden, but apparently the Bellas had been going to the Lodge every year.

She didn't really have time to prepare, and she didn't know how Aubrey was going to act around her. Two years was a long time, Aubrey could've met someone or gotten over her, but after a some subtle smiles and a few discreet touches Stacie realized nothing had changed. They went to Stacie's place after the ceremony, their lips crashing together as soon as Stacie closed the door.

Stacie hadn't forgotten how Aubrey's lips felt, how smooth her skin was, and how good it felt to just be with her. She'd decided to do things right now that she was back in Atlanta, but before she could ask her out on a proper date, she got out of bed claiming she had to get back to the Lodge.

She told Stacie she'd see her at Chloe's wedding, and so she hadn't tried to call her, sticking to their unspoken agreement to not contact each other, but planning how to breach the subject once they were together again.

She had agonized over it all the way to the dress shop. The Bellas were all bridesmaids, Aubrey was maid of honor, and they were set to have their final dress fitting in a few minutes.

Stacie took the champagne glass one of the girls from the dress shop offered her and followed her to the back where the changing rooms were, taking a big drink before walking in. Aubrey and Chloe were in front of a mirror in the back looking at Aubrey's dress.

Stacie smiled. Aubrey looked gorgeous, her hair was in a messy bun and she was barely wearing makeup. Chloe said something and she laughed, turning her head and spotting Stacie by the door. She stopped, smiling lopsidedly at her, and warmth spread inside of Stacie at the sight.

"Stacie!" Chloe squealed and made her way to her. "You're here!"

"I am!"

Chloe let her go and pushed her towards Aubrey. "Go change! I wanna see you in your dress."

Stacie chuckled and let herself be pushed to the dress rack. Aubrey was already there looking through the dresses and pulled out the one with Stacie's name on it.

"Hey." Stacie took the dress from her.

"Hey." Aubrey pointed behind them. "You can change back there."

"Thanks."

Stacie smiled at Aubrey and went into the tiny room, dropping her clothes and putting on the dress. She turned, trying to reach the zipper and failing.

"I need some help back here!" Stacie called and heard someone open the door. She didn't have to turn to know it was Aubrey. "Zip me up?"

"This is new." She felt Aubrey's fingers trace her spine. "I usually help you out of your dress."

As soon as Aubrey was done zipping her up, Stacie turned and pinned her against the door. "Hey."

"Hey." Aubrey cupped her cheeks and kissed her, slowly at first, but Stacie pressed herself against her and deepened the kiss. "You didn't get a room this time, did you?"

"Nope, I'm all yours."

"Good." Aubrey smiled, nibbling on Stacie's lower lip. "I'll give you a key later."

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Stacie said in between kisses.

Aubrey hummed and pulled her closer. "Yes?"

"What are you doing? I wanna see!" Chloe yelled from outside.

Stacie groaned and rested her forehead against Aubrey's, who kissed her quickly. "Rain check?"

Stacie nodded and let Aubrey step back to open the door so they could get out.

They didn't have time to talk the rest of the day, they barely had a chance to look at each other when the rest of the girls started arriving to try on their dresses.

After everyone was done, they all went out for lunch. They were going out to a club for Chloe's bachelorette party later that day so Aubrey spent part of lunch making sure the car she hired to take them from the hotel to the club and back would be there on time, and checking on the reservation at the club.

Stacie squeezed her thigh when she joined her back at the table. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Aubrey covered Stacie's hand and brushed her thumb over her knuckles. "We'll have a few hours before we have to meet everyone for dinner."

Stacie smiled, pretending to focus on her salad. "What do you have in mind?"

"I think you know." Aubrey replied under her breath.

Stacie was about to reply when Beca poked her shoulder. "Hey, you have a car, right?"

Stacie rolled her eyes and turned towards her. "Yes."

"Can you drive Amy and me somewhere?"

"Where?"

"We want to buy some booze? We're gonna pregame at Amy's suite."

Stacie frowned. "Why?"

Beca looked confused at the question. "Because we haven't been all together in a while and we want to hang out?"

"Oh." Stacie hummed and looked at Aubrey hoping she'd interject but she didn't even turn to look at them. "I was hoping I could go to bed for a bit before we went out later, I'm tired from the drive."

"Can you at least drive us to a store?"

Stacie huffed. "Fine."

Aubrey slipped her the key to their room under the table before Stacie left with Fat Amy and Beca. It took them more than an hour to get back to the hotel, and Stacie had to help them carry everything to the suite. She managed to slip out a few minutes later and hurried to her room.

She stopped, leaning against the wall once she was inside, and smiled at the sleeping blonde on the bed. Kicking off her shoes, she crawled onto the bed, settling herself behind Aubrey and wrapping her arms around her.

Aubrey groaned sleepily and turned her head. "You're back." She rolled over. "I'm awake."

Stacie chuckled and tightened her arms around her. "It's fine, we can nap." She kissed Aubrey's nose and pushed her back so she'd roll back over and settled herself comfortably against her back. "I like this."

Aubrey pulled Stacie's arm tighter around her and sighed. "Me too."

Stacie didn't sleep. She committed to memory everything about that moment, the feeling of having Aubrey in her arms, her scent, every sound she made. At one point, Aubrey turned and pressed herself close to Stacie, burrowing her head on her shoulder, her hands resting limply against her chest.

When it was almost time for them to start getting ready, Stacie shifted her hands to Aubrey's waist. Sneaking her fingers under her shirt, Stacie started rubbing small circles against her skin, making Aubrey mumble something and press herself closer to Stacie.

"Babe," Stacie murmured against her hair, "we have to wake up."

"Why?" Aubrey groaned and wrapped her arms around Stacie. "I want to stay here."

Stacie chuckled, squeezing Aubrey and kissing the top of her head. "I'd love that but I don't think Chloe would forgive us if we skip her bachelorette party."

"Fine." Aubrey sighed and pulled back to look at Stacie. "What did you wanna talk about earlier?"

Stacie hesitated. She didn't know if she wanted to tell Aubrey anymore, at least not now. Things were going great and telling her might ruin it. If she waited and it didn't go her way, she could at least have one last weekend with her.

"Hey." Aubrey cupped her cheek. "What is it? You can tell me."

Stacie leaned forward, kissing her softly. "It can wait."

She deepened the kiss, pushing her onto her back and running her hands down the side of her body.

Aubrey broke the kiss with a gasp, moaning as Stacie's lips traveled down her neck. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Stacie bit down on her pulse point, making Aubrey arch her back.

Feeling Aubrey tugging on her hair, Stacie pulled back, arching her eyebrow in question. "I want to shower before we leave."

Stacie smirked. "Am I invited?"

"Is there time?"

Stacie sat back on top of Aubrey, slowly pulling up her shirt. "I guess you can go in on your own-" She kept pulling it up until a part of her stomach was showing. "-and miss all of this-" She ran her finger next to her belly button. "-wet."

Aubrey bit her lip, tugging on Stacie's belt loop and lifting herself up. "We'll just have to hurry up then."

They met the rest of the girls in the lobby some time later. Stacie went down as soon as she was ready, not because of Aubrey's constant complaints about her being distracting, but because they didn't want to be too obvious arriving together. Aubrey came down a few minutes later, a lot more put together than when Stacie had left her.

They made their way to the club, most of the girls had already had a few drinks at Fat Amy's suite and talked loudly all the way there. Stacie looked back at them and chuckled, shaking her head and leaning close to Aubrey. "Don't drink too much tonight."

Aubrey looked at her, returning her gaze to the front almost immediately, but Stacie saw the side of her mouth quirk up. "Why would I do that?"

Stacie moved her hand close to Aubrey's leg, running her finger softly along the side of her thigh. "Because if you get drunk we can't do what I have planned when we get back to the hotel."

Aubrey touched her pinky to Stacie's finger on her leg. "Oh?"

"I promise I'll make it worth it."

"Aubrey!" Beca leaned over the back of their seat and poked Aubrey's shoulder. "You're Chloe's best friend, but I want you to know that I'm the second maid of honor."

Aubrey rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Go away, Frodo. There's only one maid of honor."

"You're not very nice, you know?" Aubrey glared at her and Beca frowned confused, looking at Stacie. "Why have you always liked her?"

Stacie grinned widely and looked at Aubrey. "You just have to find something you both like."

"And maybe stop being a pain in the ass," Aubrey added.

Chloe joined beca and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "Bree, don't be mean to Beca on my wedding."

"It's not your wedding."

"It's my wedding weekend!" Chloe lifted her finger menacingly when Aubrey didn't stop glowering. "Don't make me name her your co-maid of honor."

"Yes! I'm co-maid of honor!"

"That's not what she said!" Aubrey turned to Chloe. "Tell her that's not what you said."

"I'll tell her if you're nice to her all night."

Aubrey huffed and turned back to the front, crossing her arms in front of herself. "I'm gonna need drinks for that." Stacie pouted and Aubrey rolled her eyes, cupping her cheek reassuringly. "Not too many."

They stopped in front of the club and Beca grabbed Stacie's arm to steady herself. Aubrey and Chloe went ahead and walked towards the entrance.

"Don't make the same mistake I did." Beca said, clutching Stacie's arm tightly. "Don't let her meet someone else. Tell her how you feel."

"What are you talking about?" Stacie tried to shrug Beca off.

"You like Aubrey?" Beca looked up at her. "Are you not Stacie?"

Stacie rolled her eyes. "No, I'm Santa Claus. Let's go, drunky."

As soon as Stacie found the table where the rest of the girls were, Chloe gave her a shot glass filled with an amber liquid. Stacie took a whiff and coughed, but lifted it with the rest of the girls and drank it quickly, almost forgetting how strong it was when she noticed Aubrey down it as if it was water.

Before she could say anything, Jessica and Ashley pulled her away, taking her to the dancefloor, where they were later joined by most of the girls. Stacie frowned when, almost a two hours later, Aubrey was still nowhere to be seen.

She was on her way back to the table when a visibly drunk Chloe intercepted her. "I'm getting married tomorrow!"

Stacie chuckled. "You are!"

"Adam is great. Isn't he great?" Chloe said dreamily as she held onto Stacie's arm.

"He's the best." Stacie nodded absentmindedly and looked over Chloe's head trying to find Aubrey. "Have you seen Aubrey?"

"Aubrey is great too. Maybe she'll hit it off with one of Adam's friends and stop pining over you."

"What?" Stacie grabbed Chloe by her shoulders. "There's pining?"

"Why didn't you ever call her?"

"What? When?" Stacie shook her head confused.

"Seriously, Stacie, if you don't want to be with her, just let her go. She needs someone who really appreciates-" Chloe squeezed her eyes shut suddenly and covered her mouth with her hand. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh, god. Come on." Stacie grabbed Chloe by her arm and walked her to the bathroom, pushing past the line of people waiting outside and holding back her hair as she puked.

"I appreciate Aubrey." Stacie said over Chloe's retching. "I think I might even-" She shook her head, she didn't want to tell drunk Chloe before she told Aubrey. "I'm just scared, I don't want to ruin things with her. I don't want to lose what we have."

Chloe ignored her as she coughed up the last of the alcohol in her body and groaned. Stacie grabbed some toilet paper and handed it to her so she could wipe her mouth and helped her up, taking her to the sink. Once she was sure she wasn't going to fall, Stacie crossed her arms and leaned against the wall next to the sink, biting her lower lip.

"There was pining?"

Chloe glared at her. "She deserves better than someone who just fucks her at her friends' weddings."

"I can be better." Stacie nodded, thinking for a second and then looked at Chloe's disheveled state. "Feel better?"

"I just mixed too many things. I'm sticking to vodka from now on." Chloe said resolutely.

"You can't keep drinking!" Stacie followed her out of the bathroom

"It's fine, I just got rid of most of what I had to drink before." Chloe patted her cheek and pointed behind her. "Aubrey's over there, go get her."

Chloe winked at her and walked shakily in the direction of the table, leaving Stacie alone. Stacie turned in the direction Chloe had pointed and saw Aubrey crossing the dancefloor. She ran, catching up to her before she got back to the table and steered her away to a dark corner of the club.

"Hey, where have you been?"

Aubrey huffed. "Babysitting Beca." She squeezed Stacie's hand. "Where were you? I went looking for you and you weren't with the girls."

"I took Chloe to have a very serious conversation with the toilet."

"Is she okay?"

Aubrey turned to look for her and Stacie stopped her. "She's fine, I held her hair back while she puked, she's back at the table drinking again."

"Chloe." Aubrey shook her head and then looked at Stacie smiling "You held her hair back?" Stacie nodded and Aubrey pulled her closer. "You're the best."

Stacie looked around to make sure no one could see them and she kissed Aubrey. "Wanna go back to the hotel so I can show you how good I really am?"

"I have to stay with Chloe. She'll be drunk again in an hour and we can take her back then." Aubrey kissed her. "Go dance, I'll go find you when it's time."

"Okay." Stacie kissed her again. "See you in a bit."

Almost exactly an hour later, Beca, who Stacie hadn't seen in a while, walked up to the Bellas and pulled Stacie away. She looked a lot more sober than when they had arrived but she didn't look happy. "Your girlfriend sent me to look for you. She's taking me and Chloe back to the hotel."

"Okay, wait." Stacie turned to pass the message on to the rest of the girls, telling them she'd send the car back if they wanted to stay longer. Emily and Lilly decided to call it a night too and followed them to the door where Aubrey was holding Chloe against her side.

"Need help?"

Aubrey shook her head and went out. "Just find the driver."

Stacie walked to the end of the block with Beca where the car was waiting, pushing Beca in so they could drive back to pick up the rest of the girls. Beca stared out the window forlornly as soon as she sat down and Stacie arched an eyebrow at her. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine." Stacie saw her wipe her cheek and she threw her arm around her. "I'm happy she's happy."

Stacie felt something tighten in her chest. She didn't want to go to Aubrey's wedding in a few years and have to pretend she was happy for her.

They stopped in front of the club again and Stacie got off to help bring Chloe up, sliding in next to Aubrey and taking her hand firmly, as if she was afraid she'd lose her if she let go. Aubrey looked at her confused but didn't take her hand away until they got back to the hotel.

"I'll take Beca up to her room."

Aubrey nodded. "I'll take Chloe."

"I'm fine, I don't need you to walk me up." Beca grumbled.

"Stop complaining, hobbit." Beca glared at her and Stacie ignored her, ushering her inside the elevator and waiting until the doors were closed to speak again. "Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine, Stace." She sighed. "Or I will be. It just hit me, you know? How we really aren't happening ever, for real this time." She looked down and shook her head. "I really am happy for her though. She's my best friend, I want her to be happy."

The doors of the elevator opened and Beca pushed Stacie back in when she tried to leave. "Go be with Aubrey."

Stacie smiled. "Does everyone know?"

"Please, like you're any good at hiding it." Beca shook her head. "Also, Lilly saw you kissing her before Fat Amy's wedding."

The elevator doors closed and Stacie shook her head, grinning despite herself. She was glad everyone knew and no one had made a big deal about it. Now she just had to talk to Aubrey.

Aubrey wasn't back by the time she got back to the room so she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She was finishing removing her makeup when she heard the door and felt Aubrey wrap her arms around her from behind.

"Hey."

Stacie pat her hands and leaned back. "Hey. How's Chloe?"

"She's gonna be glad the wedding isn't until late tomorrow. How's Beca?" Stacie arched an eyebrow at Aubrey's reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Chloe told me to be nice."

"Chloe's not here." Stacie turned in her arms and leaned down to kiss her. "I'm not gonna tell her if you call her Frodo."

"Do you really wanna keep talking about Beca?"

"Not really." Stacie pushed Aubrey against the open bathroom door and kissed her deeply, unzipping Aubrey's dress. "Bed?"

The sun was filtering through the edges of the curtain when Stacie blinked her eyes open. She could feel the warmth of Aubrey's body on her back and her finger lazily rubbing circles on her hip. Stacie closed her eyes again, enjoying the feeling, maybe for the last time.

"How long have you been awake."

Aubrey's finger paused for a second, and then kept moving. "A bit."

Stacie rolled over to face her and wrapped her arms around her. "Good morning."

"It's after noon." Aubrey said with a smile.

"I just woke up, it's still morning."

Aubrey arched an eyebrow still smiling. "That's not how time works."

Stacie tucked back a strand of Aubrey's hair. "Bree?"

"Yes?" Aubrey ran her fingers up Stacie's back slowly. Her smile faded when Stacie didn't talk for a while. "You've been trying to tell me something since yesterday, what is it?"

Stacie took a deep breath. "Do you want to do something after the wedding?"

Aubrey looked confused. "I thought we were coming here."

"No, I mean-" She exhaled nervously. "Like in a few days."

Aubrey's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to go to dinner or something? Maybe a movie or lunch, if you can't do dinner. Breakfast is good too." Stacie stopped, trying to read Aubrey's face but she wasn't giving up anything.

"Would this be a date?" Aubrey asked cautiously.

"Yes, of course." Stacie nodded.

Aubrey tapped Stacie's shoulder softly. "Do you-" She pursed her lips. "What do you want, Stacie?"

"I want-" Stacie was really scared now, Aubrey's tone had been neutral so she really couldn't tell how she felt. "I want you, I want us." She grabbed Aubrey's hand and kissed the back. "I want more than just weddings and graduations. I just want to give you more if you let me."

"Why?" When Stacie frowned Aubrey shook her head. "Why now? What changed?"

"Nothing." She smiled faintly when Aubrey gave her an incredulous look. "Everything." She sighed. "I'm back and I don't want to waste more time." She looked at Aubrey's hand in her own. "So, what do you think?"

"Stacie, I-" She freed her hand and cupped Stacie's cheek. "I want you, us, too."

Stacie started to smile but Aubrey's tone made her wary. "But?"

"But-" Aubrey laughed. "I don't know, Stacie. Is this a good idea?"

"It's the best idea I've ever had." Stacie turned her head and kissed her hand. "Come on, give me a chance."

Aubrey turned her hand, brushing her thumb along Stacie's lips. "Okay, dinner."

Stacie grinned. "And a movie?"

Aubrey chuckled. "Maybe."

Stacie pecked her lips. "And breakfast the day after?"

"French toast?" Aubrey leaned back, letting Stacie kiss her.

"In bed."

* * *

Stacie kissed Aubrey's cheek and handed her a champagne flute. "Miss me?"

"You were gone for like two minutes."

"Exactly." Stacie sat down next to her. "Plenty of time for you to miss me."

Aubrey rolled her eyes and pecked Stacie's lips. It was just supposed to be a quick kiss but Stacie deepened it, pulling back with a goofy smile. "I love doing that."

Aubrey hummed and pressed a quick kiss against Stacie's lips. "Me too."

Stacie scratched the back of Aubrey's neck looking into her eyes. "I love you."

Aubrey smiled widely. "I love you too."

"Hey, love birds! Come dance!" Fat Amy yelled from the dancefloor.

Stacie nodded and turned to Aubrey, twirling the new ring on her finger. "Coming, Mrs. Conrad?"

"Conrad-Posen," Aubrey said with a smile. She let Stacie help her up and lead her to the dancefloor, wrapping her arms around her neck when they got there.

They danced in silence for a while, ignoring everyone else. When the song changed, Stacie pulled back to look at Aubrey. "So, I don't know what your plans are later but I have a room…"


End file.
